CALLMEGETRIX, with Sean Veale up, wins the Listed Off To Stud Stakes for trainer Candice Bass-Robinson at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Picture: Race Coast/Candiese Lenferna
Andrew Harrison
Terry Fripp is something of a floating rib when it comes what goes on at Summerveld during Champions Season although currently attached to the Kom Naidoo yard. Well versed in what it takes to get a race horse to its optimum, Fripp has displayed his talent for many a visiting trainer and also locally.
This Champions Season he was tasked by Candice Bass-Robinson to look after her raiding party and five out of nine was not a bad tally including two features on Hollywoodbets Durban July day to round off that meeting.
Fripp was back in the winner’s circle with Callmegetrix in the Listed Off To Stud Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday as Sean Veale managed to smoothly get the mare to negate her wide draw and take up the running as is her want.
Once in front, Veale dictated the pace to a nicety and was not for the catching in spite of a belated challenge from the diminutive Tomyris with expected challenger in the market, White Pearl fading out to hold on to fourth.
Tienie Prinsloo doesn’t have too many horses in his yard, 14 to be exact, but punches way above his weight when it comes to winners. All the money came for the first timer Captain Ventura in the first and she looked to be heading the right way as she tracked Blazing Beauty who was living up to her name. Tristan Godden had her out in a flash and scooted off to the lead with Captain Ventura on her heels and the rest of the field strung out behind.
Captain Ventura challenged at the top of the straight but Blazing Beauty kept up a relentless gallop and the money horse melted under pressure. Never challenge, Blazing Beauty cruised in with the balance chasing shadows.
The money when astray in the card opener but it was bang on the mark in the second as Kanaal Skater landed something of a betting coup for Dean Kannemeyer and stable rider Craig Zackey. From an opening call of around even money, the son on One World started deep in the red at around 5-10 at one stage and the result was never in doubt.
Taking a lead from pacemaker Higher Love, Zackey sat in behind tracked by market rival That’ll B The Day. But once off the false rail, Zackey was sitting with a handful as That’ll Be The Day struggled to stay in touch and the race was over a long way out. That’ll B The Day struggled into third as the first timer Coccolina made a game but vain effort to catch the winner and is one for the notebook.
As they say in the classics, ‘he stands over a lot of ground.’ Town Crier certainly fits that bill and he put his big stride to good effect as Stuart Ferrie’s colt out-pointed the field in the third. Slow out of the gate, Serino Moodley, coming off a double at Turffontein on Saturday, bustled him to hold position but once off the false rail the big son of William Longsword extended and kept rolling to hold all at bay. Targaryen Knight finished best of the chasing opposition while the well-supported Boardwalk Breeze was never able to overcome his draw as Sean Veale kept him wide on Taste The Rainbow and he once again had to settle for minor money.
Chad Little has quickly established himself as one of the country’s leading riders after a long stint in life’s doldrums and his talent was on display as he got Lucinda Woodruff’s gelding Twilight Warrior home in the first leg of the jackpot. Seemingly a long way off the pace in a big field, Twilight Warrior quickened up the inside to win well. Zackey looked to have ridden the perfect front-running race on King Of Victory but was swamped close home as Call Me Wild was first out of the pack but not able to hold off the late charge from Twilight Warrior.
It was the Woodruff and Little show in the next as Little rode a confident race on Another Dream to for the filly notch her third race on the bounce. Woodruff was quietly confident of her charge’s chances and Little rode an excellent front-running race. Going forward from the jump, he managed to stack up the field behind him before making a winning dash off the false rail and up the straight and was not for the catching.
Mountains Of The Moon came in for good market support before the start of the sixth. It looked to be money on the mark and race over as Tristan Godden slipped Robbie Hill’s mare up the inside and taking the lead. But Moodley was hunting the field up the outside and Copacabana arrived looking that she had just jumped into the race as she seemingly enjoyed the extended trip.
